The Mallet Assembly (renamed the Druid Collective[1]) is a living program at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Mallet was established in 1961 by John Blackburn.
The Mallet Assembly took its name from the fact that it was originally housed in a building known as Mallet Hall, which no longer exists. Mallet Hall itself was named for John Mallet, head of the Central Ordnance Laboratory of the Confederate Nitre Bureau. The group occupied Byrd Hall from 1972-2007, then Palmer Hall until 2014, and is now located in Highlands Building C.
The Druid Collective is one of the few self-governing dormitories in the US; much of its internal operation is coordinated by elected student officers. Mallet (not Druid) is listed by the University of Alabama Office of Residential Life as a Special Living-Learning option, and is also a member of the Coordinating Council for Student Organizations (CCSO).
The Assembly was traditionally a men's residence. Although they accepted applications from female students since 1980, women were admitted as "out of dorm" members (although some women Malleteers were able to reside in the building during summer semesters). In 2007, Mallet became a co-ed living option with men and women living in the same building.[2]
In 2011, the 50th anniversary of the Assembly was honored in a resolution of the Alabama House of Representatives. [3]
In Spring 2022, the Mallet Assembly was renamed the Druid Collective (in honor of Tuscaloosa being called Druid City) after many members at the time felt a disconnect with John Mallet, who was a Confederate, and thus they did not feel that his name reflected the organization. This followed a similar trend by the University at large at the time, during which it renamed several buildings in order to "remove racist namesakes from the UA campus."[4]
Notable Mallet alumni include:
Honorary members include: